Alamo foundation disbands apparently without raising funds

A foundation led by a Dallas designer to help the Alamo has
disbanded less than a year after launching a bold plan to create a
$400 million endowment.

There's no indication that the Daughters of the Republic of
Texas Foundation raised any money for the San Antonio icon and
other historic properties.

Some fundraising experts said that because of the sour economy,
donors probably would sympathize with the group's failure. Others
said its grand claims - followed by scant results and a lack of
details on its collapse - might reduce giving confidence.

"Flops like that, it can damage the public's trust," said Ken
Berger, chief executive of Charity Navigator, a watchdog group that
rates charities.

Patti Atkins, the Daughters' president general, confirmed that
the foundation's leader told her in late February that the group -
which was endorsed by the Daughters, but technically a separate
entity - was suspending its fundraising indefinitely.

"In lieu of the economy, they have decided to hold off," Atkins
said last week.

Its shuttering comes as Daughters' officials, the Alamo's
volunteer stewards, continue to overhaul their business practices
and search for new ways to support the state-owned site.

Atkins said other in-house fundraising, including a $60 million
capital drive and the "Allies of the Alamo" membership program,
remains strong.

But she said the DRT Foundation did not bring any money back to
the Daughters, and it's unclear if the foundation has plans to
restart fundraising.

At the very least, the nonprofit will no longer be associated
with the Daughters.

Name change

Rather than filing papers with the Texas secretary of state to
terminate the group, McCutchin instead changed the foundation's
name in late February to the Texas Heritage Children's Foundation
but gave no other information.

Atkins also kept the group at a distance. She said last week she
had not spoken to McCutchin since February, and Atkins made it
clear that the foundation was not officially part of the
Daughters.

"We were personally not running that," she said.

That's a far cry from the cozy relationship the two groups
shared in September, when the Daughters announced the debut of the
DRT Foundation with great fanfare. Daughters' officials even gave
the foundation special permission to use their name.

"The foundation is part of the latest wave of activities
designed to upgrade the Alamo complex and the DRT's organizational
processes," the Daughters said in a news release.

It was an important bit of good news for the Daughters, who had
suffered a tumultuous summer that saw key Alamo staff members leave
in part because of concerns over its business operations.

McCutchin, who has philanthropy experience but is not a
Daughter, told The Dallas Morning News in October she wanted to
help because the Daughters "could not do fundraising on their own,
and the expenses to maintain their properties are escalating."

She predicted establishing a $400 million endowment over the
next two to three years.

There were no further announcements about the foundation from
McCutchin or the Daughters. Asked about the DRT Foundation's status
in mid-February, Atkins said the operation was ongoing. But she
declined then to give updated fundraising totals.

Chris Carson, a San Antonio architect and founding board member
of the foundation, would not comment last week. The foundation's
other board member, Richard Coble Turner of Amarillo, did not
return messages.

Relies on gift shop

The Alamo relies heavily on the more than $5 million in yearly
sales from the gift shop at the mission - its main source of
revenue. The Daughters group does not charge admission or receive
state aid.

Leaders remain optimistic, however, about other fundraising
opportunities. Atkins said she did not have totals for the capital
campaign. But Tony Caridi, the Alamo's marketing director, said the
new "Allies of the Alamo" membership program, started in late
February, has raised about $93,000.

"It is looking really great," he said.

Despite the DRT Foundation troubles, experts predicted those
other programs could thrive.

Stephen Hardin, a historian at McMurry University in Abilene,
said the Alamo's importance in Texas lore makes it an enticing
option for supporters.

"People will still contribute," he said. "The people who will
not have confidence in the Daughters now probably wouldn't have
confidence in the Daughters to begin with."

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